You may have seen news stories where people trade their office chair for an exercise ball and wondered whether you could benefit from a similar trade. Reasons for the trade include better posture, less back pain and exercise on the job. Some people who opted for exercise balls found that there were significant drawbacks to sitting on an exercise ball all day. Fatigue The lack of stability, arm and back support can cause fatigue if you sit on the ball for extended periods, according to Dr. Henry Goitz, chief of sports medicine at the Medical College of Ohio. He believes that long hours of ball sitting can lead to injuries when you get too tired to maintain your balance or focus on your balance and posture. Fatigue can lead to poor posture, the antithesis of why many sit on the ball. A study published in the December 2009 edition of “Scoliosis” found that individuals sitting on an exercise ball demonstrated similar slumping and poor posture habits to those sitting in chairs. Discomfort Sitting on the ball for hours can become painful.

The balls are not ergonomically developed for extended sitting, which leads to discomfort. A study published in the May 2009 edition of “Applied Ergonomics” noted that women who typed sitting on a ball for more than one hour demonstrated spinal shrinkage and a reduction in arm flexion, leading the authors to conclude that the ball disadvantages outweigh any benefits. A May 2006 study reported in “Clinical Biomechanics” reported that extended ball sitting led to soft tissue compression and subsequent discomfort. garden swing chair costcoA third study published in “Human Factors” also concluded that the balls caused discomfort with little or no redeeming advantage. garden swing chair costcoAlternating sitting in a chair with sitting on the ball could reduce the discomfort during the day.wooden folding chairs cornwall

Safety The ball can roll out from under you if you aren’t careful. Placing the ball on a stability base or ring can keep the ball in place, but may make it harder to position the ball because the ball and the base must shift together. If punctured, the ball can deflate, although most exercise balls are constructed of burst-resistant plastic so they deflate slowly to prevent injury. Space Sitting on a ball at the office or home may require you to reserve space for both a chair and a ball to keep you comfortable and productive. white rocking chair searsThis can create problems if you have a small space and may cause the ball or chair to impede your ability to move freely within the space.pedicure chairs sale ebay Ball Chair Inventive manufacturers offer ball chairs to combine the perceived benefits of a ball with the stability, mobility and comfort of a chair. barber chairs for sale toronto

Some of the ball chairs have arms and a back to improve comfort. The ball sits in a wheeled frame that offers stability, adjustability and maneuverability. If you want to sit on a ball for extended periods, the ball chair may offer the best option. The New York Times: The Claim: Replacing Your Desk Chair With an Exercise Ball Can Improve Your Posture MSNBC: Exercise Balls as Office Furniture Human Factors: Stability Ball Versus Office Chair: Comparison of Muscle Activation and Lumbar Spine Posture During Prolonged Sittingchair cover hire isle of wight Clinical Biomechanics: Sitting on a Chair or an Exercise Balltable and chairs kijiji ottawa Scoliosis: A Comparative Study of the Stability Ball vs. the Desk Chair in Healthy Young Adultsrocking chair in nigeria

Applied Ergonomics: Static and Dynamic Postural Loadings During Computer Work in Females Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images Please help us improve how we present your research data by taking part in our survey. Volume 4 Supplement 2 6th International Conference on Conservative Management of Spinal Deformities A comparative study of the stability ball vs. the desk chair in healthy young adults: sagittal curvature, sitting duration and usability 1 span , 4(Suppl 2) DOI: 10.1186/1748-7161-4-S2-O33 ©  Robinson et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2009 Published: 14 December 2009 Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of seating type on sitting posture through comparison of a modified desk chair and a stability ball in the sagittal plane over a duration of 30 minutes. The usability of the stability ball was assessed through the completion of a purposely designed questionnaire. Background Lower back pain affects a significant number of people throughout working life, meaning treatment and prevention are key topics in back care.

In recent years the stability ball has increased in popularity as a common tool used in physiotherapy practice. However its uses have been taken out of the gym and into the workplace as an alternative to the traditional desk chair in an attempt to combat back pain through the belief of encouraging a better sitting position. Method Twenty eight subjects participated in the study, sourced from the student population of the University of Teesside. Postural information was collected using the Microscribe 3DX Digitiser from Immersion Corp Ltd. (California). A desk chair with the back rest removed was used and categorized as a stable seating type, allowing comparison to the unstable stability ball. Spinal curvature was recorded at the point of initial sitting, and through 10 minute intervals for a total of 30 minutes on each of the seating types. A usability questionnaire was completed by each subject following each sitting trial. Results The results showed no significant difference with regard to spinal curvature between seating types (p > 0.05).